Guidelines for Presenters

Eligibility

To present a paper or collaborative work at the annual meeting, you must be a current member of the Religious Education Association and registered for the annual meeting before October 15th. Event registration and membership are available through the REA website at www.religiouseducation.net.

Research Interest Group Presentations

Presenters of research papers must submit their full papers no later than September 15th. Papers must be sent electronically to the Executive Secretary, Dr. Lucinda Huffaker, at secretary [at] religiouseducation [dot] net. Papers are not limited, but an appropriate length would be 6000 words (not including the title, abstract, and references) because that is the restriction for submissions to our journal Religious Education. Keep in mind that participants are expected to read papers before the meeting. Papers sent to the Executive Secretary should be in this format:

PDF file format — unlocked (otherwise we cannot use it in the proceedings)

Presenters of research papers will typically be paired with at least one other presenter and will share a session known as a “Research Interest Group.” All papers will be posted on the website prior to the meeting, and published in conference Proceedings (also available on the website). Presenters should assume that those attending the session have read the paper in advance. Equal time for presentation and discussion will be allotted to each presenter in a session. A moderator will be assigned to facilitate each group of presentations and may invite discussion either after each presentation or after all presentations are completed.

Presenters should carefully prepare a 15 minute presentation. Please do not attempt to read your paper within this short timeframe. The most productive presentations will remind attendees very briefly of the basic argument and outline of the paper, and lay out a few key issues for discussion. Session attendees should have read the paper in advance and be ready to take up the issues you name or raise issues of their own. Presentations may be supported by printed handouts (outline, discussion questions, etc.), or audio or visual materials (see notes below regarding AV guidelines). Please do not plan to read through a PowerPoint presentation which could be easily read in a few minutes by attendees themselves. Bear in mind also that most attendees will immediately read (very quickly and very efficiently) anything you hand out or project (during which time they will not attend to anything you say), and will then find irritating any attempt you make to re-read or explain the material to them. Remember that REA conference attendees enjoy and expect time for lively discussion among participants and presenters.

Presenters of papers may revise and submit their papers for possible inclusion in the conference issue of the Religious Education Journal. Detailed information will be sent to the presenters following the annual meeting. The Proposals Selection Committee will act as the peer review jury. The journal editor will make the final selections. Submissions for that issue are due December 9, 2019.

Collaborative Sessions

Collaborations will typically have a full session. The best presentations will model collaborative academic inquiry around a particular topic related to the theme. Research and practical wisdom may be shared through a panel presentation, a dialogue or interview, or other modes of embodied engagement. Remember that REA conference attendees enjoy and expect time for lively discussion among participants and presenters.

Presenters of Collaborative works who are not submitting formal papers are required to submit an outline of the main concepts/issue, the methodology, and the primary sources grounding the presentation for posting on the website. This outline must be submitted electronically no later than September 15 to the Executive Secretary, Dr. Lucinda Huffaker, at secretary [at] religiouseducation [dot] net. OUTLINES NOT RECEIVED BY THAT DATE WILL RESULT IN CANCELLATION FROM THE ANNUAL MEETING PROGRAM. The outline should be confined to 2-pages single-spaced, 12 point, Time New Roman font, 1” margins all around, and must be received in electronic format (‘doc’ or ‘pdf’). Additional resources or handouts supporting the presentation may also be submitted in advance for posting on the website. These materials are also due September 15.

Presentations may be supported by printed handouts or audio or visual materials (see notes below regarding AV guidelines). Please do not plan to read through a PowerPoint presentation which could be easily read in a few minutes by attendees themselves. Bear in mind also that most attendees will immediately read (very quickly and very efficiently) anything you hand out or project (during which time they will not attend to anything you say), and then find irritating any attempt you make to re-read or pedantically explain the material to them.

Poster Presentations with optional digital media

Presenters of Posters are required to submit an outline of the main concepts/issue, the methodology, and the primary sources grounding the presentation for posting on the website. This outline must be submitted electronically no later than September 15 to the Executive Secretary, Dr. Lucinda Huffaker, at secretary [at] religiouseducation [dot] net.

Poster Presentations will be allotted a specific timeslot during the meeting. To facilitate conversation across levels of expertise, established members in the field and in the organization will be invited to briefly respond to each of the posters. However, posters will remain on display the entire conference to provide maximum exposure. See additional Poster Instructions online.

A poster is a graphically based approach to presenting research. In presenting your research with a poster, you should aim to use the poster as a means for generating active discussion of the research. Presentations may be supported (but not replaced) by printed handouts (outline, discussion questions, etc.), or audio or visual materials (see notes below regarding AV guidelines). Accompanying media will need to be self-explanatory and running on a loop; it should not be tied to presenter explanation (e.g., PowerPoint). Below are resources for thinking about and preparing your poster presentation.

A/V Guidelines

The REA recognizes the importance of using digital equipment during presentations. However, costs for renting this equipment at a hotel are often prohibitive. We encourage participants to bring and share a personal or departmental LCD projector and laptop. Alternatively, analog equipment such as overhead projectors, etc., is available to rent at the participant’s cost. There is a place to note your audiovisual needs in the proposal submission form.

If you will need A/V support for your presentation, please let Lucinda Huffaker know before September 15. Requests after September 15 cannot be accommodated. Projectors cannot be used with poster presentations.

If you plan to use digital media (such as DVD) or a laptop display for your poster presentation, your presentation will need to run from your personal laptop. Presenters must provide their own speakers for sound. Small tables for laptop computers will be available upon request. Laptops must run on battery power (or inform us if your laptop will require a power supply). In order to accommodate sufficient tables, power supply, internet access, and spacing, please submit requests to Lucinda Huffaker before September 15. Requests after September 15 cannot be accommodated.